Brett Cornell Mysteries

This is the nine-book series of comedy-mysteries featuring the tough and crass, wise-cracking private detective who happens to be a hugely successful ladies' man. In a series of tales involving murder, blackmail, and other assorted acts of violence and deceit, Brett learns the hard way that there's a steep price to be paid for being such an unscrupulous bastard. Not recommended for the politically-correct crowd.

Private detective Brett Cornell believes that he's never had it so good. He's been on a winning streak playing poker in private games being held in the back room of one of his favorite night spots. He's recently been "discovered" by an exotic-looking beauty who specializes in homemade adult films. In addition, he's been hired to track down a certain missing husband and bring him back home to his anxious wife. His life, however, takes a sudden turn for the worse when he opens the trunk of his car one evening and finds the missing husband's murdered corpse.

A man is found dead with a bullet hole in his chest, and private detective Brett Cornell is the number one suspect. It might have something to do with the fact that there were witnesses who had seen him punching the guy around only a few days earlier. Or - more likely - it might be because the police have discovered that the fatal bullet had been fired from his gun! Self-proclaimed unscrupulous bastard Brett Cornell has to figure out who's trying to set him up.

According to the police report, the attractive, blue-eyed blonde had been shot to death in her apartment at around 7:30 p.m. Then how was it possible that nearly 50 people saw her dining and dancing at a nearby club over three hours later? Set in the late 1980s, the third Brett Cornell novel finds the studly private detective surrounded by the usual bevy of beautiful women, as well as a few seedy characters who foolishly decide to butt heads with the supreme unscrupulous bastard himself.

"Gary N. and Helen W. Trank of 66 Colstone Boulevard take great pleasure in announcing the recent nuptials of their daughter Pamela Ann, and Brett Cornell...." The above words appeared in the local newspaper, and thousands of women throughout the city immediately went into mourning! Well, not exactly. But private detective and self-proclaimed unscrupulous bastard Brett Cornell nearly went into cardiac arrest when, shortly thereafter, he received a personal home visit from Homicide Lieutenant James Wilson.

Where in the world is Stacey Ashton? Stacey herself told her employer that she was leaving for Philadelphia on personal business. But Melanie Foster suspects that the girl has run off to Florida with her husband instead. Enter private detective and self-proclaimed unscrupulous bastard Brett Cornell who attempts to discover Stacey's true whereabouts, only to learn that she may actually have been murdered - and that the murder took place a lot closer to home.

The beautiful and alluring Tammy Rankin and her brother Andy were positively grief-stricken when their well-to-do father died of a fatal heart attack. In fact, their grief was intensified when they realized that their young stepmother stood to inherit his vast fortune; that is, unless they could somehow suggest foul play and pin a murder rap on the woman. They obviously needed to enlist the services of someone who was totally devoid of any amount of scruples whatsoever.

Marcus Wade was a man who wasn't easily intimidated - that is, until he had reason to believe someone was trying to kill him. Upon talking the matter over with his wife Sybil, he decided to hire someone who would not only protect him, but who would also scare off any potential murderers. Enter private detective Brett Cornell, who jumps at the chance to push his weight around on the man's behalf, but is even more anxious to get it on with the lovely Sybil Wade, as well as her younger and even more voluptuous sister Nora - for starters!

Private detective Brett Cornell decides to go on vacation and hits the sunny, golden shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean where he quickly captures the three "A's" (the attention, admiration, and affections) of many of the lovely young bikini-clad beauties as he could ever desire. So, what could possibly go wrong?

The life of an unscrupulous bastard can sometimes be fraught with difficulties. First, there was the sweet young thing who claimed he'd impregnated her. (Know what a condom is, Brett?) Then there was the desperate young man who wanted to take him to court. (One of the risks you run when you insist upon being so unscrupulous.) How about the guy who showed up at his apartment and threatened him at gunpoint? (Punching him out at that party might not have been such a good idea.)